Being a Wallflower

Source of picture: ayazafe

“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”

For years I had been meaning to pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower and be able to read through the beautiful quotes and reflective thoughts of a 15 year old boy named Charlie. I was lent this book by a close friend of mine and finished it in less than 2 days. I won't delve into the particulars of the storyline. The purpose of my posts about books and films are not to review them but rather the need to share what I've taken from their pages.

I read all sorts of books but usually find myself reading those that detail the discoveries of oneself. What better way to continue this tradition than by reading a book from a teenager's perspective - the views of one leaving childhood and becoming an adult. I have a very soft spot for coming-of-age stories. I wish I had read alot more coming-of-age stories when I was in high school. Maybe I could have related to the dramas and struggles that only adolescence knows but I guess I was too lazy to do anything back then and reading books were far from my mind. I had grades, crushes and friendships to worry about as well as the ability to mould myself into my circle, otherwise known as 'fitting in'. Haha. Those issues aren't too far off where I am now, just replace 'fitting in' with 'finding a job'.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower deals with the usual teenage angsty confusion we've come to expect of such books that deal with sexuality, family, love, drugs and relatable music. Personally, what made me a fan of this particular work by Chbosky were his quotes. I am a sucker for brilliant phrases and positive mantras, especially ones written so simply and this text has an abundance of them. There's a great power that lies behind a simple quote. It doesn't try and convey the message through obscurity or complexity. It lies bare before you and makes the reader think "Yeah... life really is that blunt". Simple quotes are plain but they speak enough truth for everyone to understand.

At the end of the book, I had an overwhelming need to give Charlie the biggest hug in the world. He discovers a realisation that many teenagers tend not to discover until much later in their lives, and tragically some realise it too late - the notion that things just keep going. Whether they be good or bad. There's not much one can do and dwelling over unfortunate circumstances and scrutinising it to death is unhealthy, unnecessary and does no-one any favours. In saying that, it is important to reflect over these things once in a while because it makes things feel clear and together. But no matter what, things just keep going, things will get better. They always do.

Adele Adkins

Source of picture: asunglullaby

For those who are not familiar with Adele's voice, I urge you to watch her performance of Someone Like You at the BRIT Awards. It is simply one of the most beautiful musical pieces to grace my ears. Her voice transcends soul like nothing I've ever heard before.

Be wary though. It is easy to plug her soulful sound on replay for days and become sucked into her world of hurt. To ensure your general happiness is kept intact, it is best to limit yourself to two or three songs at any one time. I, myself, have had her '21' album on repeat for around 2 weeks. I have a terrible habit of listening to music I like to the point where I become sick of it. However, I'm not sick of Adele yet. Oddly enough, I've come to enjoy putting myself through her misery since I'm too sensitive to detach myself from her lyrics.

I hope when she sings her songs, she sings to heal. Although, I do not understand how one can sing about heartbreak day in and day out without being reminded of a failed relationship... Still, it takes strong willpower to do what she does. How do you move on when you are constantly being reminded of loss, especially when people expect you to relive the story over and over again? Does she become numb to it all? I would like to think she is very professional in what she does but it makes me nervous when she tears up and her voice cracks when she sings. She's only a human being after all, and blending the personal with business is never easy.

All I can say is... that takes alot of balls.

If you've ever had your heart broken, Someone Like You should be your anthem. But don't check up on the backstory for this song. It will just lead an already depressed and sensitive listener, like me, into morbid angst.

New Blog Beginnings

Source of picture: dawndh

[Insert quote about a famous poet wisely saying something along the lines of how life is s*** (for want of a better word) but everyone makes do with the best they have.]

This blog is an outlet for me to speak of my struggles and victories and document them in a witty and humourous manner. I know it's a big ask for me to be witty and humourous but I am hoping to see the funnier side to situations considering I find myself too often in unhappy ones. My former colleague affectionately put it as: "Only you can find yourself in such depressing situations" when I told him the story of my good self catching the train to work and being rubbed up against the whole journey.

So why the sudden rush to publish the detailed ongoings of my life on an online public forum? I recently completed an overseas work stint in Singapore (more details to come in later posts). I enjoyed every exhausting moment of it . The point of it, since coming back, was the realisation that I have been living a monotonous life - trudging along for 21 years without giving a single, careful thought as to how I wanted to be in life. Hence the aptly named title of this blog 'Strength of the Soul' is a toast to improving and finding the things to help improve my soul and, ultimately, make me a happier and content human being.

My posts will be prefaced with the words "The strength in...". I understand that by doing so, most of my titles won't make any grammatical or structural sense. The reason why I'm choosing to write my titles in this manner is simply because in whatever situations I find myself in, whomever I have the fortunate (or unfortunate) chance of meeting and however I'm currently feeling about life, contribute to how I perceive the world and thus add to or challenge the strength of my well being.

I am hoping that this blog will be kept updated until the day I graduate from a torturous 5 years at law school - June 2012. This final year should (hopefully) be packed with drama and musings from the crazy world I constantly find myself in. I also hope to face the transition from student to law graduate with the wisdom of an adult and the knowledge that life up to then was worth it.

Till then, you can find me hovering over Tumblr, Twitter, Shantaram and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.